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Training Camp, Day 15

Posted Sep 26, 2013
by Shawn Mitchell
| 0 comments

The Blue Jackets will close their exhibition season tonight against the Carolina Hurricanes. Puck drops shortly after 7. When it’s over, there will be relief. Players love to play, yes. But eight games that don’t count, played over 12 days, has been a grind.

“I think our guys have been pretty good,” coach Todd Richards said. “I haven’t sensed any grumbling. But they’re to the point now where this is going to be their eighth game and camp has been hard and it’s been long. Players are always looking forward to the games that matter. The closer you get, the better it is. But it is hard playing that eighth game because you’ve played seven before that. They’re looking forward to this game and looking forward to this game being over with so they can really start focusing on Oct. 4.”

Injuries and life outside of hockey kept tonight’s game plan from being finalized until this afternoon. Several players who were in the lineup last night in Buffalo will lace them up again tonight. Several others who likely would have played tonight will not dress.

Right wing Marian Gaborik will not play and will take a short leave from the team for personal reasons, Richards said. Gaborik’s twitter account yesterday indicated that a family member had died.

“It’s just a personal issue that he’s got to deal with,” Richards said. “We’ll have him back early next week. No injury. He’s healthy. He’s just got a family matter that came up.”

Wing Cam Atkinson has an undisclosed injury. He practiced today was on the original lineup sheet but will be scratched. Richards called it a precaution and said Atkinson would be playing if it was late in the regular season.

Jared Boll (upper body), Derek MacKenzie (upper body), Cody Bass (broken thumb) and goaltender Curtis McElhinney (lower body) remain out. Blake Comeau, whose wife, Lacey, gave birth to their first child last night. He said he got only two hours of sleep last night. He’s likely napping at the moment if mom and baby (yet to be named) allow. Matt Calvert (groin) played last night but won’t go tonight.

The Jackets did not pair off or take line rushes this morning, but here’s the game roster. One defenseman will be scratched. It won’t be Nikita Nikitin. He’ll return from a foot injury and play tonight.

Blue Jackets center Mark Letestu said he doesn’t mind playing on consecutive nights. Players, in general, prefer to play in the final preseason game to help prepare them for the opener. Letestu said back-to-backs are part of NHL life, so why not?

“I kind of like that I get to play back-to-back because we’ve got to do it on Oct. 4 and 5 (Games 1 and 2, vs. Calgary and at the New York Islanders),” Letestu said. “You might as well get the body through the reps and start getting acclimated to what you’re going to be doing in the season.

“This is the first time I’ve been a part of a team that’s had eight (preseason games). But (Richards) has been fair. It’s not like on practice days that he’s beaten us down or made us battle every day. He’s given us enough rest to make sure guys are healthy when they’re playing. It hasn’t been too bad. But it’s definitely setting us up for the grind of the season, that’s for sure.”

There remains competition among the Jackets for a few roster spots at the bottom of the lineup. Other holes might need to be filled temporarily depending on current and future injuries. But Richards won’t put increased emphasis on performances tonight.

“We need to fine-tune our games as a group and need for individuals to start to find their games,” Richards said. “There have been some areas that I haven’t been happy with. We’ve got some guys that aren’t playing at the levels we need them to be at right now. I think some guys just have to get that confidence going and get back to where they were at the end of last season.”

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